Industries Overview

The Greater Portland region features a wide range of businesses and industries with a concentration in seven key sectors. Access to a labor force with specialized skills, a desirable location, and a supportive business infrastructure helped form the concentration of these key sectors.

The region has a penchant for innovation, and our unique concentration on clean tech and energy talent make way for global companies like Vestas America, Iberdola Renewables, Lucid Energy and SolarWorld USA to set up shop in Greater Portland.

Click here to view a video on how Lucid Energy is harvesting renewable, low-cost electricity from gravity-fed pipes.

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The greater Pacific Northwest region is widely known as Silicon Forest, with the 4th highest Computer and Electronics industry concentration in the US. With industry giants like Intel and Tektronix opening their doors nearly four decades ago, a forest of thousands of technology firms like FLIR Systems, SEH America, Wafertech and TriQuint support over 32,000 skilled employees in the region.

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Recognized globally as a leading open-source community and mobile technology provider, Greater Portland’s software industry is known for developing products and applications that are changing our way of life. Dubbed “Techlandia” by the Technology Association of Oregon, Greater Portland is not just a place, but a “state of mind…where creativity and passion meet technology.”

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Greater Portland thrives on the strength of its established manufacturing sector. With an employment concentration that’s twice the U.S. average, metals and machinery are cornerstones of the manufacturing industry. It’s no coincidence that Greater Portland is home to Precision Castparts, Schnitzer Steel Industries and ESCO.

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People in Greater Portland don’t just think outside the box. We think outside altogether. We find inspiration everywhere, from unparalleled urban parks, to the National Scenic Area in the Columbia River Gorge to the Cascade Mountain Range, with the Pacific Crest Trail running throughout. Greater Portland-Vancouver’s athletics and outdoor cluster is not only a national design hub but also a leading global center for the industry. Superstar companies and leading brands—including Nike, adidas America, Columbia Sportswear, Under Armour, Icebreaker and Leatherman—call the Greater Portland area home.

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A hub for private-sector innovation and supported by institutional research and development, Greater Portland’s bioscience industry is poised for unprecedented growth, and the OHSU Knight Cancer Challenge puts an exclamation point on this. The region has a demonstrated strength in the bioscience industry with more than 13,556 people employed at 802 establishments, and an employment growth rate of 30 percent from 2001 to 2011. With a high concentration in STEM fields, Greater Portland is a magnet for young, diverse, well-educated workers.

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With the likes of Nike, Ziba Design and Wieden+Kennedy, Greater Portland is a magnet for young, creative and educated talent with a collaborative, can-do optimism. Even the quintessential techie with strong aptitude is driven by a need to be creative, and this profile repeats itself across industries. The convergence of Software & Media, Computer & Electronics, Health Science & Tech and Athletic & Outdoor is rapidly emerging, and Greater Portland is in prime position for future opportunities in next-economy sectors.